I’m referring to myself, of course.

Yesterday Liz and I attended a four-year-old’s birthday party, which had a superhero theme to which the adults were encouraged to conform. I’m not big on playing dress-up, and my one physical talent of note, long-distance running prowess, ranks quite low on the list of desirable superhero traits — probably somewhere between good penmanship and parallel parking expertise. Nevertheless, it occurred to me that I’ve recently been spending a fair bit of time climbing up and down the walls of our house with a belt sander while wearing a costume of sorts (goggles, respirator, earplugs), which seemed like a step in the right direction. If I added a cape and Spandex, I could be … Sand Man, a superhero with grit!

Who IS that masked man?

The photo below (thanks, Mo!) shows the Sand Man chillin’ at the party with his superfriend Nacho Libre.

Say cheese, Nacho!

Also present (in varying sizes and developmental stages) were Spiderman, Spiderwoman, a couple of Power Rangers, and a few ambiguously heroic people I didn’t recognize. They were generally well-behaved, though they exhibited less self-sufficiency than one would expect from superheroes. (Example: Spiderman sitting about three feet away from the utensils, wailing, “Mama, I need a spoon!”)

By the way, one of the unique and just-reconfirmed qualities of Sand Man is that he always completes half-marathon road races in a time of 1:09. (Now true for five of my six attempts; the sixth one was a 1:10.) This is great for those who value consistency, not so great for those who like to see actual improvement.

9 responses

  1. Jem Avatar

    I'm only disappointed that you couldn't find your Slow Boys 10th Anniversary t-shirt (the one with the Superman logo on the front) to complete the ensemble. 😉

  2. pjm Avatar

    I am recalling a former RW co-worker in the locker room post-run, announcing, "I just wish I could go under 1:10 for the half marathon one more time." I replied, "I just wish I could say that."

  3. Duncan Avatar

    I love the outfit. I spent a entire summer in Vermont on an extension ladder wearing something looking like that costume. I almost fell from two stories up and wish I had the cape that you are wearing.

  4. Balto Avatar

    You say, "long-distance running prowess, ranks quite low on the list of desirable superhero traits"But what about "Dash"? :^)http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/trailer.html?pop=y&mtype=real&quality=high&url=httpQ3AQ2FQ2Fwww.totaleclips.comQ2FPlayerQ2FBounce.aspxQ3FeclipidQ3De23142Q26ampQ3BbitrateidQ3D6Q26ampQ3BvendoridQ3D225&title=The%20Incredibles','width=600,height=575,scrollbars=yes

  5. Mike Salkowski Avatar

    What, no earplugs dangling from a cord around your neck? The neon orange ones really could have pulled the outfit together when teamed with the purple compression shorts.

  6. corrado giambalvo Avatar

    great powers… great responsibility…

  7. Peditto Avatar

    What kind of weirdo dresses up as a superhero?? Wait, don't answer that…

  8. Jennifer Avatar

    Are 4 year olds INTO these types of SuperHero's or highly embarrassed! Oh, who cares about them…it looks like you had a lot of fun! NOW, try wearing that costume while trying to race sub 1:09 for half.

  9. crowther Avatar

    For those who are curious as to what Peditto is talking about:http://www.cohorealty.com/Camp2000/random9.htm

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